Stranded
by PinkJinx876
Summary: After a terrible shipwreck that kills most of their families, Edward and Bella are stranded alone in the middle of the ocean, waiting to die. Will they be rescued, or have to start life over again? ALL HUMAN, BxE
1. Chapter 1

As an introduction, both characters are human, and will be throughout the whole story.

I am picking little quotes and words from the books and movies and weaving them in, the people who spot them and state them in the reviews will receive a teaser for the next chapter a week before it comes out. Don't worry, they are pretty easy!

This chapter contains: 1 quote

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Stranded

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E POV

When I awoke, I again had the weird sensation of knowing I was being watched. I moaned, and rubbed the sleep from my eyes.

The small piece of wood that kept us afloat bobbed up and down with the ocean tide, the slight movement of the water the only sound I could hear.

I hated waking up on this makeshift raft, there was always that moment. That moment of disorientation. That moment of '_where am I?' _Then, inevitably… that moment of realization. Of remembering. I was scared for a moment, and then I saw her eyes in the total blackness. I sighed with relief.

_'I had become so used to the darkness.'_

I slowly raised my eyes to the sky and blinked, dazed. I had recently discovered that, though I still didn't see how it was possible, there were few stars, and no moon. It was forever blocked by a thick shade of clouds. Sometimes I had woken up and doubted my own sanity. Could there possibly be a place _this_ dark?

But, as I lower my gaze back to her face, her chocolate colored eyes gently gazing at me assure me I'm not blind, and not insane, for we are stuck here together. She's just as sane as I am.

'_Not much reassurance in that Cullen…' _ I thought dully.

"Hey," I mumble sleepily.

My stomach groans, for I haven't eaten anything in three days. My throat is dry. Seawater doesn't help the painful thirst, but it's all we have. I know it's unhealthy, and I can feel it destroying my insides, but the thirst is worse than the pain.

The pain comes and goes, but the thirst never really leaves. Sure, at some points, I'll forget about it, but it's still there. I can _feel_ it.

She snuggles closer to me, and drifts off to sleep again. She is hungry too, perhaps even hungrier than me. God knows she is much smaller, much gentler, much softer…

I hadn't known her for long, but from the beginning it was easy to see how fragile she was. Her once flawless ivory skin was now marred with bruises and peeling skin, and had taken on a strange greenish tint. It was probably the reflection of the sea water.

Her name was Bella, and I knew she was meant to be mine. From the moment I laid eyes on her, she was simply…perfect. And I just knew.

As her skinny arms stretch weakly above her head, one now almost covering her face, I can easily see the curves of torso. Her shoulder blades curve gently into her neck. She is beautiful.

I look closer. She is too skinny.

I sigh, rolling onto my back. I know we can't last much longer. In fact, we should've been dead already; I'm not sure what's keeping us alive. The sea water should've killed us days ago…

I drift into a dreamless sleep. When I awaken, the sun is shining brightly overhead.

I don't move. I'm too tired. I know that when I move, I must again begin the balancing act of trying not to tip over the small piece of wood that keeps us afloat.

The first day was a tortuous ordeal, and at one point I was almost assured that both of us could not fit on this small portion of the ship.

My mind drifts back to the ship. Flashbacks assault my brain.

_The leaping bits of fire, dancing like demons above their glowing reflections._

_The black crashing waves, slowly dragging the boat down._

_My father._

_Drowning._

I force myself to stop reliving that god awful night.

No, I don't want to move. I don't even want to live. I want to fade away into the peaceful blackness. I can't leave her though.

I can't leave her.

I slowly flip over onto my side, to look at her again. She's the only thing I have now that keeps these thoughts from my head. She is my only reason to stay…alive. I _need_ to see her again.

Then I realize, with a sudden stab of horror, I _can't_ move.

I lay there motionless, in a state of panic. What was happening? Had the sea water finally started to take its toll on my body? How would I survive?

As questions clouded my head, I see her gently turn in her sleep. I desperately tried to call to her, but not a sound escaped my motionless lips. I must have laid there for hours, silently screaming, writhing in fear, being tortured in my own little world where motion and sound no longer existed.

It seemed worse than death.

Then, she awoke. Rubbing her face and moving her tangled hair into place, she spotted me. Her eyes were bloodshot and swollen, with seemingly permanent bags etched underneath them. She slowly smiled at me, her chapped lips cracking.

I tried to move. I couldn't. I tried to talk. I failed. I tried my hardest to relay some form of a message to her. Something was wrong, help me, but nothing worked. I remained still, and silent.

It would have been easy just to lay there and not move. To let the darkness close in… but still I fought.

I would've remained like that for who knows how long, if there had not been one flaw in my motionless mask. My eyes were wide with fear.

She calls out my name.

"Ed…Edward?"

I didn't move.

"Edward!" She says again, her voice flicked with panic.

I wasn't moving.

Her screams echo through the nothingness. I remain unmoving. Unchanged. I am screaming back. But I am not. I am reaching for her, but my body is not.

"EDWARD!" she screeches, her arms moving quickly to me as she shakes my shoulders. I feel nothing. She loosens her grip, fear and confusion overcoming her face.

Tears fill her eyes and I watch in horror as precious water streams down her face. She will die without me here. She reaches out to shake me again, hitting me gently in the cheek.

My eyes flash as I begin to feel again. She notices. She slaps me hard against my cheek. I am starting to feel again.

I scream out of frustration, and nearly die of fright when an actual weak scream escapes my lips.

My scream scares her as well, for she topples over the side of the raft, her nails desperately clawing at the side of the wood as she tumbles into the water. Her arms struggle to keep her afloat, and out of the corners of my eyes I see her legs kicking, and starting to shut down.

I _need_ to move. I jerk up weakly, pushing myself up from my motionless state with trembling arms. As I try and reach out to her, my arms fail and I crash onto my face, splitting my lip open. Blood drips down my chin. I struggle up again, and finally grab her from the water's clutches.

My body aches all over, but I pull up with all of my strength. Every movement sends a new wave of pain through my spine. I begin to wonder whether this pain is worse than the thirst. I manage to drag her back onto the raft, dripping wet and exhausted.

She flops back onto the hard wood, and lies down next to me, her voice cracking as she speaks slowly, her chest heaving up and down from her near drowning.

"What…what was that?" She whispers, her voice cracking as she spits up water. Tears are still flowing. Her dripping hair is spread out against the raft in messy tendrils, and despite everything I can't help but think that it is the most beautiful thing I have seen in days.

"I don't know…" I croak out, surprised that my voice and my body have been affected so much by sea water. We cannot drink it anymore. I know that we need to be rescued tonight, or we will perish here.

She gently leans towards me while lying down and my heart skips a beat. No, I haven't known her for long, but I cannot imagine being without her now. Seeing her leaning towards my face almost immobilizes me again, and as a small blush appears on her sun burnt cheeks, she gently wipes away the blood that is now running freely down my chin and neck.

Her arm then falls limply to her side as her body is too tired for movement. She lays there and looks at me, the silent revelation that we will die by tomorrow hits her, but she does not cry anymore.

She just looks at me.

Another wave of pain hits my body as I cough, and curl into the fetal position.

Blood drips from my mouth and I lock eyes with her before passing out.

_We need to be rescued._

_We are dying._

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Please review my story and subscribe for updates on the next few chapters! I will try and update once a week or every 2 weeks.

Remember, correctly post the quote(s) from the books/movies in the reviews and I will send you a teaser for the next chapter!

-PinkJinx876


	2. Chapter 2

Thank you so much for your reviews! This is my first actual story; all of my other stories are one-shots.

Remember, I am picking little quotes and words from the books and movies and weaving them in, the people who spot them and state them in the reviews will receive a teaser for the next chapter a week before it comes out. Don't worry, they are pretty easy!

For now I am sending them out to everyone, but soon I will narrow it down only to those who identify the quotes, or at least try to!

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B POV

I watched as Edward slipped into unconsciousness, his eyes rolling back in a way that made me sick to my stomach. The blood was still smeared lazily across his chin.

I had never felt so low. So drained of hope.

_How are we going to get back home?_

I roll my neck to the side, ignoring the deafening pop as my bones protest movement. Scanning the horizon only makes me lose hope, but I try again. I look for hours, hoping something will change.

Nothing.

The flat line where the seemingly endless sky met the sea never changed. It simply bobbed up and down with the raft.

I gently lifted up my wrist, bringing two fingers up to meet the horizon. They danced gently across the line, as I tried to keep myself from bursting into tears. I knew we were going to die.

I closed my eyes and hummed to myself for what must have been hours. I hummed songs I remembered, songs my mother had sung to me as a child. I cried but no tears escaped my eyes this time, as I thought of my mother, Renee. She had been my best friend. She was crazy, erratic even.

I drifted off to sleep, silent dry sobs gently shaking my body. I thought of Renee.

_It had been her idea to take the boat out for my birthday…_

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"_Bella!" Charlie happily called as he pushed my door open, flowers and a pink parcel in hand. I inwardly groaned as I rolled over to look at the clock. It was only 7:30, and my day was already ruined._

_It just had to be my stupid birthday._

"_Morning Charlie…" I grumbled, rubbing my eyes like always. It did mean a lot to me that he had gone through all of this trouble for me. Even if I detested my birthday. I hated being the center of attention, and I hated presents. It made me feel awkward._

_I pulled the covers off and moved over, making room for Charlie to sit. He handed me a small bouquet of purple flowers, and I immediately felt the deep flush come over my face. He was convinced that I liked purple, and it had started to grow on me. It reminded me of him. How much he cared._

_I took the flowers and set them gently on my nightstand, quietly mumbling a 'thank you' as both of us avoided eyecontact. I knew he was bad at these kinds of things, and tears prickled my downturned eyes as he handed me the clumsily wrapped pink package. _

"_I uh…got you something for your birthday," he began. "Your mother's present is…well…a lot bigger. So I guess I'll go first." The wrapping was covered with a thick layer of tape, and the lopsided bow was taped flat. It more resembled a knot than a bow in reality, but to me it meant so much to me that I momentarily forgot about my hatred for birthdays._

_I clawed open the tape and pulled out the present, a small rectangular jewelry box. I gently took the lid off of the box and gasped._

_Inside was a silver locket, in the shape of an oval, with flowers carved on the surface. I gently opened it, hands trembling, and inside was a photo from what must have been almost 20 years ago. It was of Charlie and Renee, still happily married. Their shining faces looked up at me as I turned the locket over. I slid out another side to the locket and a small mirror glistened at me, the glass slightly dulled with age. I was speechless. This was the most precious thing I had even seen, let alone owned. I loved it._

_I looked up at Charlie, his eyes firmly planted on the ground as his cheeks flushed red. He was refusing to look me in the eyes, but he coughed nervously and spoke._

"_It was my grandmother's" he mumbled, before clearing his throat and speaking up more strongly, eyes still glued to the floor. "She told me to give it to the most special woman in my life. Since things didn't really work out with your mother…" he said nervously, clearing his throat again, "I couldn't think of any better person to give it to than you Bells. I…I love you, happy birthday."_

_I couldn't find words to describe what I was feeling. I know I couldn't if I tried. So I didn't try. I simply leaned my head onto Charlie's shoulder and whispered "thank you", as I wiped away the tears from my eyes. I looked over at him and he was finally able to meet my glaze, gently ruffling my hair as he stood up. _

"_Well…I guess it's time for your mother's present," he said, always quick to change the subject from mushy things. We were both bad at emotions, and I silently thanked him for changing the subject so abruptly. _

_He slowly walked over to the closet, and I was momentarily confused before the doors suddenly exploded open and I toppled off the bed, screaming loudly as I thudded to the floor._

_I peeked my head over my sheets and my jaw dropped. Standing in front of my closet, each hand grasping a side of my double doors, wearing nothing but a hula skirt and coconuts, was my mother. My crazy mother. My hair-brained mother. The woman who I'd missed more than anything._

"_HAPPY BIRTHDAY BELLA!" she screamed, jumping on my bed and pulling me into a tight hug, which knocked her off the bed as well. Neither of us cared. I hadn't seen my mother in months, since I had moved to Forks._

"_MOM!" I yelled, squeezing her as tightly as I could. I felt complete again, for just a moment. I felt happy. She lived life to the fullest, and though at times it felt more like I was the mother, I wouldn't trade our relationship for the world._

_She pulled away and my eyes were drawn straight to the coconuts._

"_Woah, uh….mom. What's with the…outfit?" I asked, averting my eyes and blushing. In the middle of September, my mother had not only flown out from Phoenix to surprise me, but she was wearing a getup that more suited a tropical island in the middle of summer. I looked out the windows and saw that it was raining heavily, and sighed. I HATED the weather here. Everything was so…green._

"_Weeeeell" she started, shaking her chest embarrassingly. "I heard you say on the phone last week that you hated the weather here during the fall…and I figured I'd help you out."_

_I sat there, being smothered by my mother's hula skirt, in complete confusion._

"_WE'RE GOING ON A CRUUUUISE!" She suddenly shouted, pulling me up and jumping up and down in excitement._

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I woke up suddenly, as harsh rain pounded my face, images of my mother flooding my brain as the water flooded our raft. Not of that day, of on the boat. Of her falling overboard. Of her floating away into the blackness. Screaming.

I hurriedly tried to shove them out. I wanted to remember my mother how she was on my birthday. Face flushed, eyes bright, excited. Happy.

…Alive.

I squeezed my eyes shut and felt the rain drill into my face like little needles. I had always hated the rain.

Rain.

The word meant something, but as my body drifted off again and the darkness started to claw in at my brain, I couldn't remember what.

Rain.

I drifted in and out of consciousness, knowing that once I slipped into the darkness again I would not wake up. What was so important about rain?

Then, suddenly, like a sledgehammer, it hit me.

Rain.

RAIN.

WATER.

I sat up immediately, my back popping and my sunburnt skin splitting. It was pouring rain.

"EDWARD!" I screamed, slamming my fist into his shoulder and clawing at his arm, pulling him into a sitting position. He barely moved. I shook him and his eyes lulled open, bloodshot. I gripped his face, his cheeks were burning. His forehead was even hotter.

Panic stricken, I opened Edward's mouth and watched as water quickly dripped in. He choked for a moment, and then his eyes flicked open and he began gulping in water.

I quickly opened my mouth and water immediately spilled in. I sat there gulping as much water as I could, cupping my hands together as a makeshift cup, drinking in life. I looked over and saw Edward struggling. I moved his head onto my lap and gently cupped my hands around his chin, allowing a stream of water to dribble into his mouth. He swallowed greedily.

I looked into the sky, water slicing into my face, and thanked whoever would listen.

This rain would keep us alive.

After about an hour the rain had gotten worse. So had the waves.

The sun had dropped below the horizon line, darkness blotting out the clouds. I was frightened. This was the same type of storm that had capsized the boat.

A 'freak storm' Dr. Carlisle had called it the first day that we had spotted clouds from the deck of the boat. He said it should pass quickly, but violently.

It had.

The raft suddenly jerked with a large wave and I was almost thrown overboard. A pair of strong hands reached out to grab me, keeping me from tumbling off.

Edward had regained some of his strength and was looking at me with feirce eyes.

"I am NOT losing you now goddammit" he spat out, wrenching me towards him and wrapping his arms tightly around me. I was taken aback at his strength. An hour ago he was struggling to drink and now he was gripping me like a vice, refusing to relax his taught muscles.

"You mean more to me than anything else Bella" he yelled, the winds picking up as the raft jerked violently with the waves. His eyes were blazing and I didn't know if he was sane or not.

Suddenly he kissed me.

Out of the blue, out of nowhere, he gripped my face and violently shoved it towards his, our lips crashing together.

And he kissed me.

Before I could react, the raft was tossed up into the air and it came down with a crash, throwing me off despite edward's grip. His nails left deep gashes in my arm as the waves ripped me from his side, and the 4 angry slashes spurted blood as I was thrown into the sea.

I tried to reach up but I didn't know which way to reach. Underwater was worse than the surface, and though I knew to swim to the bottom for calmer water, I knew I would never fine my way up for air if I went down.

A strong wave knocked me into a spiral as the air was expelled from my lungs, and I lost control of everything. The bubbles flew in every direction, and I knew then I was lost. I didn't remember which way was up, or down. I didn't remember how to swim. How to breathe. As I was again buffeted by the waves, I gave up.

I stopped trying to swim.

I stopped trying to breathe.

I stopped trying to live.

The waves pushed me farther under, and just as I was about to die, I felt something grab my arm.

I panicked, my oxygen deprived brain not functioning properly. I felt myself being dragged roughly and suddenly my head broke the surface. I gasped roughly, spurting out sea water as I choked. My throat burned. My skin burned. My eyes and body ached, _why was I still alive?_

I forced my eyes to open and saw Edward, looking at me with horrified eyes. As I looked weakly up at him, he smiled crookedly. Then he collapsed next to me.

I wave came up and gently touched my feet, and then slowly pulled away. I was confused. Another wave touched my feet, retracting in the same way.

I suddenly realized that we were not in the water.

_We were lying on sand._

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Please review my story for a teaser and subscribe for updates on the next few chapters! I will try and update once a week or every 2 weeks.

Remember, in the next few chapters you will have to correctly post the quote from the books/movies in the reviews and I will send you a teaser for the next chapter!

For now I am sending them out to everyone, but I will announce when reviews will no longer be automatic. Thanks for reading!

-PinkJinx876


	3. Chapter 3

I am SO SORRY that this has taken so long, I have been having unbelievable personal and family problems over the past month. My father was diagnosed with tongue cancer and has undergone surgery to hopefully remove it, and my boyfriend of over 3 years has left me.

However, I am now on a weeklong break from college, and I will post 3 chapters over this week, to make up for my shameful lack of posting.

I will be trying to put pictures up on my profile that show what the island looks like, what their makeshift raft looks like, etc. I hope you find them helpful in really getting into the story!

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E POV

Sand.

It was sand.

I raised my head up and coughed violently as water gushed from my mouth, yet I didn't care. After almost 4 days adrift at sea, our turmoil had finally ended.

My eyes lifted to the sky and all I saw was clouds. I looked in front of me, lifting myself up onto my elbows, and saw trees.

All over, no matter how far I looked, I saw nothing but trees, rocks, and a large mountain that jutted up sharply against the stormy sky.

Where were the trees? Where were the people?

The roads?

The…people?

There was no one. Not a soul but Bella and myself.

I looked over desperately to find Bella; I could not be all alone. I saw her laying about 20 feet away, passed out cold, the water touching her feet, moving them ever so slightly.

I tried to remember last night.

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_The cold water swirled around me as I searched desperately for Bella. I had seen her go under the water nearly a minute ago and my brain could not function properly without having seen her surface. I took another large breath and dove down again, being buffeted by the surf._

_Why had it suddenly become so strong?_

_I searched again, my arms flailing wildly. Searching for any trace of her. A glimpse of her leg. The movement of her arms. Her hair. Anything._

_Suddenly I saw her, sinking away from me fast. _

_I immediately dove deeper, my lungs hurting from the lack of air. I needed to surface. I looked down at Bella, there wasn't time. I swam deeper and deeper, my eyes going blurry from lack of oxygen._

_She was so close._

_I reached out to grab her, and when my fingers finally closed around her small arm I my eyes started to black out. I swam in the direction I thought was up. I started to go weak; I slowly let the remaining air out of my lungs and felt it bubble up past my forehead._

_At least I was swimming the right way. _

_Our heads broke the surface at the exact moment that the wave hit. We were tossed like rag dolls as I gasped for breath, but I never let go of her arm. My fingernails dug into her flesh as we were flung up, sideways, then came crashing down into the water. _

_I felt something slam into my leg and realized our raft was close. Before I could reach out for it the next wave hit, and we were tossed roughly against something. _

_I thought it was the raft, and I reached out to grab it as the water pummeled us from above. When my hands dug into it, they sunk in, and I was momentarily caught off guard. Another wave hit and we were rolled harshly. I let go of her arm as the realization hit me. _

_It was land._

_I blacked out before I could pull myself farther from the water._

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I dragged myself onto my knees and crawled over to Bella, shaking her lightly to wake her. She looked at me lazily, her head weakly rolling to the side, otherwise not moving.

"Bella….land," I croaked out, pointing to the trees behind us.

She just looked at me dully, eyes glazed over, breathing slowly.

"Bella?" I asked quietly, cupping her face in my hands as I brought it closer to my own. I noticed that her eyes were bloodshot and her face was so sun burnt that I couldn't tell if she was flushed with a fever or with burns. "Bella?" I called again softly, looking around worriedly for someone to help her.

It suddenly occurred to me to call for help, we were on land now, we were safe.

"Hello?" I yelled into the trees.

Nothing.

Only a few birds scattered into the air, scared from their perches.

"HELLO?" I cried louder, why was no one coming? "We need HELP!"

I looked closer at the trees and realized that I'd never seen them in person before. They looked nothing like the trees at Forks…they looked like the trees I'd only ever seen in movies.

Like I'd only ever seen on….islands.

That's when it hit me. Like a ton of bricks slamming onto the pavement. Like the crushing waves that had slammed us ashore.

We hadn't landed somewhere familiar.

We hadn't landed somewhere safe.

We weren't back on the coast of Washington.

We had landed somewhere foreign…dangerous…uninhabited.

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B POV

I stared bleakly up at Edward as realization dawned upon his face.

I watched his pupils dilate slowly as he froze, suddenly looking at the trees with fear instead of hope. I had known ever since we washed up ashore that this place was uninhabited, but Edward had not realized it until now.

I knew we had almost no chance of survival, neither of us knew anything about living on our own, and I was too weak to walk.

How could I find food?

How would I know what to eat?

How would we stay safe?

The questions had molested me the previous night, forcing me to drift into nightmarish scenarios in which we were killed by animals, or in which we slowly went insane with hunger. I had given up long ago, and as I looked hazily up into his eyes, I wondered darkly when he would give up as well.

He stared into the strange trees for a long time.

This was not like the typical beaches in movies; there were not miles upon miles of white sandy beaches, surrounded by delicate palm trees. There were rocks everywhere, and sharp hilly projections as the beach suddenly turned upwards into hills and mountains. The sand was mixed with small rocks and the trees were a mix of tropical trees and forest trees. A few dozen feet from where we laid, a wall of trees marked a dark forest, and I was scared.

Finally Edward looked down at me again. The sun had risen higher in the sky and I knew that we had only a few hours until it began to lower, then set.

Only a few hours until dark.

Surely he would accept defeat like I had, we could lay on the beach and slowly drift off into blackness together.

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E POV

As I looked down at Bella I realized suddenly that she had given up on me. Her eyes were glazed over with acceptance; she had accepted the fact that she was going to die. She wasn't even going to try.

I stood up abruptly, almost falling straight onto my face as the blood rushed to my head and I could not see for a few seconds. I strode forward slowly, towards the wall of trees. I was not going to give up, I was not going to die. Bella needed me. I couldn't let her die.

As I reached the trees I looked back to realize that she had not followed me.

She looked on with dull eyes, watching me approach the forest. She did not think I would go in, she thought I was bluffing.

The last thing I saw as I entered the forest was her eyes become wide with fear as I kept moving, and disappeared into the trees.

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Please review my story for a teaser and subscribe for updates on the next few chapters! I will try and update once a week or every 2 weeks.

Thank you all for being so patient with me when things in my life have been less than easy. I hope you enjoy this chapter, and know that the next chapter is actually coming out tonight, as a thank you for waiting for me!

-Pinkjinx876


	4. Chapter 4

I apologize sincerely for the Mage-long-Super-frustrating delay. For those who have stuck around waiting to read more, I thank you from the bottom of my heart. For those who are new, I thank you and invite you to join on what will hopefully be a journey for everyone.

Familial problems have kept me from posting, as you know from my last update- my father was diagnosed with cancer and my boyfriend left. I am happy to announce that my father is currently cancer free and has finished his chemotherapy, and that my boyfriend came back right away. After MUCH crying and apologizing, we are now getting engaged. We are going on 4 years of dating, and 6 years of great friendship. The road has been rocky, but it is finally smoothing out.

So, without ANY further waiting, Chapter 4 is finally here! (and long overdue!)

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EPOV

As I strode into the forest, pushing aside rough branches or the unfamiliar trees, I heard no movement from behind me. Bella did not stir, but I heard her weak protestations.

"Edward...c-come back…" she creaked out, her voice dry and almost lifeless.

I kept walking.

I needed to find something. I needed to _bring_ her something. She needed something to shake loose her fears. To convince herself to keep living.

Despite her cries, growing ever faint as I walked deeper in, careful not to lose my way, I kept walking. I pictured her face, gazing lifelessly up at me. All drive gone. Devoid of all hope.

She had surrendered.

I never wanted to see that face again.

I crawled under a thick branch and shuddered as spider webs brushed against my neck and shoulders. The moss was slick beneath my feet- I felt it squish between my toes with every slow step.

I would return with hope. I would come back to Bella's defeated body with something that would again light a fire in her eyes. Remove that haze that hid her inner drive from me. That caused her face to look dead. That made her look as if she wanted to die.

I shuddered and kept walking.

Yes, I would bring back the one thing that would assure her that life was possible. That it was worth fighting for. That we _would_ have a slim chance of survival on this godforsaken island.

I would bring back food.

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B POV

"Edward," I croaked out, clawing at the sand next to me without moving my legs. I was not going to follow him; I had resigned myself to death when the waves had crashed my body upon the shore. I had known it, understood it, and was at peace with it.

Edward was not.

I again struggled to call out his name, but he did not come. I could not understand why he had gone into the forest. The trees were strange, much shorter and thicker than any trees in Forks, where the branches did not begin until a hundred feet in the air.

We were in a strange place that we knew nothing about. And how Edward found the spark or energy that drove him to survive, I did not know. I did not try to understand.

I had known since I first lay eyes on Edward that there was an unspoken spark between us. But I had also known that there was something…strange about him. Something I would not understand. Something I would never understand. And I accepted that.

So I closed my eyes, felt the gentle breeze upon my face, and was content.

I was ready to die.

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E POV

"DAMMIT!" I cursed- my one hope at reviving Bella's will to survive dangling just a foot beyond my reach in the trees. They were fruit, though I did not know the kind. They resembled plums, yet were somewhat larger, and perfectly round.

'_Must be some exotic local fruit' _I thought, trying again to jump and reach the food dangling so tauntingly above my fingertips.

Cursing again, I walked on. The fruit would have to wait for another time. When I was more prepared. When I had a weapon to knock them down.

I grimaced at all the work that we had to do, the list stamped into my brain, shrouding everything else that I had once considered important in a blanket of survival instincts.

We needed shelter, we needed fresh water, and we needed fire to stay warm. We needed _food_!

A gentle crunch under my food startled me and I raised my arms instinctively, preparing to defend myself against an unknown attacker. I looked down and saw nuts. The ground was covered in small blackish nuts, about the size of an unshelled pecan.

I screamed in joy, my broken voice even scaring myself, as several birds were roused from the trees and took to the skies in fear.

'_So there is life on this island. Maybe we do stand a chance…'_

_._

_._

_._

BPOV

I couldn't help but look as Edward came crashing through the trees, falling heavily to his knees- which I saw were now scraped with tiny cuts. He carried something in his hand, though the contents, which he cupped so gently, as if they were a small child, did not interest me.

Nothing interested me except letting go. I was so devoid of strength, so hungry, so thirsty, and so _tired._ I looked on stoically as he staggered towards me, lowered himself to his knees, and opened his cupped hands towards me.

The smell hit me first, a pungent unpleasant smell of dirt and moss. But then, I realized what I was looking at. They were small, but they were enough.

Enough to light a fire within me that I thought had smoldered out.

Enough to move my muscles into a sitting position as I devoured them rapidly.

They were enough to make me want to stay alive.

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E POV

As Bella ate ravenously from my hands, my own hunger gnawed at my long empty stomach. I had eaten some of the small black nuts on my way back to the beach, but I had saved the rest for Bella.

As she devoured the remainder of the nuts, I picked some and quickly ate them too, my stomach screaming with pleasure at being filled, but pain at the meal itself. Bella felt the same, I could tell by the expression of terror that overcame her while she ate, but eating was necessary.

Bella finished off all of the nuts that I had managed to carry back, and we sat there looking at each other, neither one speaking.

Her face was once again flushed. Her eyes were once again bright.

She looked at me as she had before on the boat, when we first saw each other. Hopeful.

And I knew we would find a way to survive.

It was only a matter of how.

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Next chapter under construction, thanks for reading!


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